Books with buying and selling tips

Here’s some summer reading for those considering buying or selling a home:

* “Protect Yourself From Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud: Preserving the American Dream of Homeownership” by Ralph R. Roberts and Rachel Dollar (Kaplan Publishing: 256 pp., $19.95).

This book serves as a thorough guide to how real estate frauds can occur, ways to avoid them and the damage they can do to individuals and neighborhoods. Some of the frauds explained here are mortgage elimination schemes, predatory lending and phony deeds, all described in clear terms.

* “Mortgage Myths: 77 Secrets That Will Save You Thousands on Home Financing” by Ralph R. Roberts and Chip Cummings (Wiley: 282 pp., $17.95).

This highly organized book corrects misinformation and tells would-be buyers how to go about getting and handling a mortgage. Prepayment, licensing and state regulation of mortgage brokers, seller financing and many more topics are carefully explained.

* “The Fearless Home Seller: Razzi’s Rules for Staying in Control of the Deal” by Elizabeth Razzi (Stewart, Tabori & Chang: 384 pp., $16.95).

For sellers worried about the state of the real estate market, the author gives tips in six categories for easing the strain, including ways to prepare the house for sale and dealing with brokers -- or not.